Paint Our World
by 1lastdanceluv
Summary: "Sometimes the most perfect things are the simplest". In which Teyla learns a new hobby, Lorne learns to blush and a certain something turns to jelly...
1. Colours

**Title: **_Paint Our World_ / **Fandom:** _Stargate Atlantis_

**Genre/Type**: Friendship/General / **Characters/Pairings:** Teyla/Lorne / **Series:** None

**Rating: **K+/ **Warnings/Spoilers**: Brief Mention of Artistic Nudity (and appropriate blushing after) / **Setting:** Before Season 4 / **Written For: **Prompt **Hobby**

**A/N**: I don't own _Stargate Atlantis_ or any of the pairings etc. This was originally written as a series of drabbles, but I've put them all in chapter form here.

_**Colours**_

Whenever anyone mentioned painting, the first thing that came to Teyla's mind was the cave-paintings on her home planet. Plain oranges and browns, symbolizing her people's lives, their histories. But she'd never seen anything quite like it before. Sheppard has told her about him and his after-hours activity. Complained about how he couldn't convince the stubborn man, as John called him, to give up making a mess of Atlantis' balcony's and play golf with him instead. But Teyla had been curious about these activities. Much to John's dismay, she'd gone to a balcony overlooking a tower and the oceans beyond. He was there, in his casual clothes with his back towards her, painting. Teyla paused, just watching as he continued, seemingly oblivious to her presence, and anything else for that matter, except the wonders around him.

"Sheppard send you?" He asked without even turning around. "Him and that golf of his, be the death of him one day." Teyla smiled. She never could understand how he did that; know who was behind him without even looking. Basic training, she supposed, a warrior's instinct. She liked that.

"No he didn't," She replied, "Though he was none too happy to hear I gave up, what did he call it? 'A once in a lifetime opportunity'." Evan smiled and straightened up, tilting his head to look at his work.

"What do you think?" He asked, looking at Teyla. Teyla looked at his creation. What did she think? It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Magnificent. It captured the beauty of the setting sun over the oceans, like…. like, well she didn't know like what. But it was… perfect. She looked up at Evan, smiling. What did she think?

"It's…," She paused, watching as he gave her a curious look, one that somehow made her insides turn to that blue jelly that Rodney always ate, "It's perfect." She finished softly. Evan smiled and Teyla smiled back. He shrugged slightly and looked to where he was capturing the moment.

"That's perfect." He said. Teyla looked to where he watched. He was right, it was perfect. She stole a glance at the Major beside her, who was still as much a mystery to her now as he was when she first met him. He had a look of peace, comfort and contentment, three things that Teyla admired the most about him. The peace and calm that he always radiated made her feel… safe. He smiled softly as he sighed. There it went again, her stomach turning to jelly. She turned back to the view.

"Not being rude," he said, "But why are you here?" Teyla turned towards him to find him watching her. She titled her head to the side.

"Do you wish me to leave?"

"No," He said quickly shaking his head, "It's not that. I like- I mean," He paused and cleared his throat, "It's nice with you here. Kind of like… I don't know, right." Teyla nodded slowly and smiled. Out of all the things on Atlantis, being with this man on a balcony at sunset seemed the most right thing in the world to Teyla. Evan smiled back then looked at his painting. His face suddenly changed and he looked back at Teyla. "You want to learn?"


	2. Canvas

_**Canvas**_

"Learn?" Teyla repeated, looking from Lorne to his painting and back again.

"Sure," He replied, his smile getting bigger, "I mean, I'm no expert but why not?" Teyla couldn't help but smile at the eager, almost childlike look on his face. The same look that Rodney had about new technology and that John had when he found something new to play with, this man had on his face about teaching her to paint. She shrugged and smiled even bigger.

"I'd love to." Evan grinned, making her insides turn to, what had John said that stuff was in that ridiculous movie about a man named India (or was it Indiana?)… quick sand. That's it and that was what her stomach turned into this time. "Where do we start?"

"Well, first let's set you up. What do you want to capture?"

"Capture? I thought I was going to paint." Evan laughed.

"Yes, you are. When I say capture I mean what are you going to paint?"

"Oh, I see." Teyla looked around and stopped, pointing at the Jumper bay where a Jumper emerged and disappeared into the sunset. Evan looked towards where Teyla pointed and nodded.

"Looks like a good place to start." He set up a station next to his own; with a canvas like his only this one was white and blank, void of the colours that radiated from Evan's. Next he gave her something called a pallet, all its little holes filled with various colours. He showed her how to hold the pallet and gave her several different sized brushes, explaining that each brush gave her a different painting style, the thicker the brush the thicker the paint would appear on the canvas. By the time he had set Teyla up, night had fallen and only two orange streaks were on her canvas. "Don't worry about it," Evan said as Teyla helped him pack up, "Why don't you come tomorrow and work on it?" Teyla agreed. She'd love to spend more time getting to know Atlantis' second in command better, and to learn how to paint of course. She knew what John's reaction would be, something between shock and avid disappointment of her going to the 'other side'. But she didn't care. What was puzzling her as she said goodnight to Evan, was the feeling in her stomach. Was it… nerves? No, she decided shaking her head, it was hunger. After all why would she be nervous about learning to paint? Teyla came the next day. This time, Evan had her station set up already. The sunset was slightly different than the day before, but he said that didn't matter, after all, she was just a learner. After what seemed like minutes, it was nightfall again. This time, Teyla had started to outline the tower that she had decided to paint at the last minute. Evan had almost finished his painting, putting what he called the finishing touches on his masterpiece. One day, as Teyla sat in the cafeteria with her team, her after-hours activities came up in the conversation.

"So where do you go after missions?" John asked.

"She paints." Ronan answered for her, grinning at Teyla, "Or at least that's what she calls it." Teyla glared at him, just making him laugh instead.

"Oh, Lorne teaching you?" John asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, and it's been very interesting." She said glaring again at Ronan as he chuckled.

"I started learning to paint once," Rodney said around mouthfuls, "But my sister put a lemon in my paint bag. Never picked a brush up again."

"Sounds like fun." John said and the conversation thankfully went to what was the team's favourite topic: teasing Rodney. Teyla learned to paint for several weeks, missions permitting. Her creation was almost completed, while Evan had already finished his, mainly helping her with her work. As time went by, Teyla found her almost daily meetings with Evan the highlight of her day. The only thing that bothered Teyla was the constant feeling in her stomach, the feeling that she'd first dismissed as hunger. And it was growing.

_**A/N: This will be the last chapter for this story for a while. I plan on continuing this one, but as my old nemesis 'the muse' has decided to take a vacation, I'm be completing some other works for a while. **___


End file.
